IBD and Preterm Birth Risk; Leprosy Bacteria Promote Liver Growth; COVID and IBD

Histological inflammation and clinical disease activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) were risk factors for preterm birth, especially in the case of ulcerative colitis. (eClinicalMedicine)

Leprosy-causing bacteria (Mycobacterium leprae) promoted growth in healthy liver tissue in armadillos and may be able to help renew aging or injured livers. (Cell Reports Medicine)

For older IBD patients with a high comorbidity burden starting on biologic therapy, those taking vedolizumab (Entyvio) or ustekinumab (Stelara) had lower rates of infection-related hospitalizations compared with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. (American Journal of Gastroenterology)

Meanwhile, another study found that ustekinumab was associated with a lower risk of serious infections for patients with Crohn's disease when compared with TNF inhibitors or vedolizumab, though no differences were seen for risk of all-cause hospitalization or IBD-related surgery. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

COVID-19 did not have a long-term effect on IBD disease course in a case-control study, but severe COVID was associated with a numerically higher risk of worse IBD outcomes. (Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology)

A diet low in FODMAPs (fermentable oligo-, di-, and monosaccharides and polyols) cut gastrointestinal symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome patients more than a moderate FODMAP diet, a small trial in Sweden found. (Clinical Nutrition)

Older adults who receive tofacitinib (Xeljanz) for ulcerative colitis induction and maintenance therapy may have higher risk for herpes zoster and cancer than younger patients. (Inflammatory Bowel Diseases)

In a global meta-analysis of overweight individuals, 70% had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, 42% had non-alcoholic fatty liver, and 34% had non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Prevalence estimates were similar for people with obesity. (The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology)

Among patients with hepatitis B virus-related cirrhosis, alanine aminotransferase levels at baseline and during entecavir (Baraclude) therapy were not linked to achieving sub-cirrhotic liver stiffness at 5 years or to risk for hepatocellular carcinoma beyond this timeframe. (Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology)

More patients who underwent urology procedures at North Carolina-based Atrium Health say they've been told they may have been exposed to hepatitis B, C, or HIV. (WSOC-TV)

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